The inaugural Hornady Precision Hunter Steel Challenge took place in Colorado August 8 and 9. This unique competition involved lots of hiking with various shooting positions in challenging natural terrain. The unique match was hosted at the Cameo Shooting Complex near Grand Junction, CO.
There were 135 registered competitors — quite a turn-out for a physically demanding match in a fairly remote location. Congrats to Heavy Class and Overall Winner Brian Black who topped the field with 140 Match points (100% of possible). Brian shot a 6.5×47 Lapua with Berger 6.5mm 140gr Hybrids. Brian’s winning rig featured a Lone Peak Arms Fuzion action, Benchmark barrel, and XLR Element chassis. Behind Brian was Serger Ducourneau in second with 134 points (95.71%). Eric Anderson finished third overall with 129 points (92.14%).
Overall and Heavy Class winner Brian Black (center) with trophy.
The Hornady Precision Hunter Steel Challenge tests a rifleman’s fitness and skills as marksman and hunter. The stages were blind with a 4-minute time limit to move to the shooting area, locate, range, and engage targets. Shooters could choose between two rifle weight classes (light or heavy) and had to meet a minimum power factor cartridge requirement that helped even the playing field. The match featured a diverse course of fire with a good mix of prone and natural terrain shooting positions. Look at the images — this was no ordinary shooting match, and natural terrain features were employed much more than at any PRS match.
Hornady wanted to thank Match Director, Scott Satterlee, the Cameo Shooting Complex and all of the volunteers and sponsors that made this match possible.
The 2020 NRA Annual Meetings, originally set for June in Nashville, TN, and then rescheduled for September in Springfield, MO, has been moved yet again. This week the NRA announced that the 2020 NRA Annual meeting will be held in Tucson, Arizona, on October 24, 2020, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort hotel. Here is the NRA’s official announcement of the venue change:
The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce that the 149th Annual Meeting of Members, previously scheduled for Saturday, September 5, 2020 in Springfield, Missouri, has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 24, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort hotel located at 7000 N. Resort Drive, Tucson, Arizona.
The NRA Annual Meeting will take place in the Kiva Ballroom and commence at 9:00 am local time. All members are invited to attend. Please visit nraam.org/membersmeeting for further details and updates on pre-registering.
The NRA has not yet released a full schedule of events. But this will be a meeting of members only — not a multi-day gathering with entertainment and celebrity guests. And there will be no large trade show with hundreds of exhibitors. This is a basic meeting of members only, being held to comply with the NRA’s charter. All NRA members are invited to attend.
Cheaper Than Dirt (CTD), a Texas-based gun product retailer, has compiled a great resource that can benefit gun owners. CTD has created a “BANNED LIST” which catalogs firearms, ammo, and gun-related products (such as magazines) that are banned in particular states. This Overview of Restricted Guns, Ammo and Parts in Each State is searchable by state, so you can quickly identify the guns, ammo, and gun-related products banned in your location.
Wilburn Roberts, CTD Blog editor, explains: “You must be aware of local laws. I have authored more than 6,000 firearm-related articles, written 14 books on the topic of firearms and served as a peace officer and security professional for decades. I’m still learning new things related to laws every day.
Why read up on this topic? For starters, some things you would never have guessed are illegal. As an example, did you know that some states ban ‘wallet holsters?’ These are holsters that allow you to carry a handgun like a Beretta .25 ACP (or sometimes a small revolver) in the back pocket.
Be careful, as many things you are able to purchase easily online could be illegal in your home state. Some are patently illegal, others are illegal only if you carry them.
That being said, this is a report on certain items that are banned in one state or another. Feel free to use it as a reference for your own research. It contains pertinent gun laws nationwide and is separated on a state-by-state basis. It is ultimately your responsibility to study your own state laws and those of the states you travel in. Lawws might be … more complex than they first appear. Double-check the laws for your state. Also, remember that these laws are subject to change. At the end of the day, you should never order anything that is illegal in your state.”
DISCLAIMER: This is not intended to be a comprehensive or complete list of gun laws. The information provided is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of law. For any particular situation, it is highly recommended that a licensed local attorney be consulted for an accurate interpretation. The opinions and statements expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily represent Cheaper Than Dirt, nor is the company at fault for any gun-related legal decisions you make.
The Gun Digest 2021 Annual, 75th Edition, is available now for $32.99. This 592-page resource covers rifles, shotguns, handguns, muzzleloaders, airguns, optics and more. We like the print edition, but there is also an eBook PDF version you can read on your tablet or computer. Both provide hundreds of photos with new product roundups, in-depth product tests, and scores of articles and stories. The Gun Digest 2021 Annual, paperback edition, is also available for $31.76 at Amazon.com with free shipping. Gun Digest 2021 is also available in digital PDF format for $31.99 at Gundigeststore.com. In the future there will also be an Amazon Kindle edition, but it is not available yet.
Gun Digest 2021 debuts Phil Massaro as its editor-in-chief. Massaro, the seventh editor in the book’s history, has assembled a wide and varied roster of leading industry authors for the new book, including Craig Boddington, Joe Coogan, Ron Spomer, Terry Wieland, Rick Hacker, Jim Wilson, Larry Weishuhn, Wayne van Zwoll, Bryce Towsley and many more.
Gun Digest 2021 covers hunting, personal defense, target shooting, gunsmithing, and collecting. Historical articles look at the role played by firearms in our country. There are Updated Ballistics Tables, and the catalog section shows off the industry’s newest offerings in rifles, handguns, shotguns, muzzleloaders and air rifles.
Reports from the Field cover the newest firearms and accessories. A Testfire section brings readers up to date on product performance. And the annual photo essay, spotlights the finest custom and engraved guns.
Other Good Books from Gun Digest Media
Gun Digest Media produces numerous other quality books for rifle, pistol, and shotgun owners. Here are four volumes we recommend. These are offered in both paperback and eBook versions:
Here’s a way some smart shooters are dealing with Pandemic Social Distancing requirements. At the Manatee Gun Club in Florida, match organizers devised tall, portable plexiglass barriers between the benches. These barriers shield each shooter from his neighboring competitor. And shooters say there is an added benefit — there is less perceived noise and muzzle blast from nearby fellow competitors.
AccurateShooter Forum member CaptainMal reports: “We just finished a steel shoot at Manatee using ALL the benches with dividers attached to each. Prior to today we were not allowed to use all the benches as they are five feet, not six feet apart [as required by social distancing regulations]. Now we can take more shooters per relay and we found some positive unintended consequences.” READ Forum Thread.
Each divider attaches to a bench. The divider can be easily removed for storage by folding up the legs so it is flat to carry/store. These dividers are relatively light-weight making them easy to put in place. In addition, because the dividers are transparent, Range Safety Officers (and spectators) can view the shooters. Notably, the Manatee competitors also reported that the dividers offered a “dramatic reduction in muzzle blast and some noise reduction also”.
CaptainMal explains: “Most all of us have experienced magnum explosions next to us on the bench and/or muzzle brakes directing a concussion at us as we shoot. GONE. We built all these because of the virus restrictions we had to deal with. Well now we can use all the benches, put on a normal program and reap the benefits of full visibility and no muzzle blast distractions.”
Al Benarroch (Forum member “Alibaba”) designed and built these dividers. Al is happy to share his design with anyone else wanting or needing to have something like this for their range. Here is Al last season BEFORE the COVID-19 range restrictions. To see him now you just look through the divider.
The Southpaw Challenge — How to Position Left-handed Shooters
These dividers were designed for right-handed shooters, but the Manatee group has some thoughts about adapting the system for lefties: “We will work on that at the IBS-style shoot next Saturday. The deal is we have 16 benches. Let us say we have 25 shooters next Saturday. There may be four left-handers. We can put 12 -14 shooters on each relay and just leave open a single bench next to them.” Also with Manatee’s five-foot spacing between benches, there is actually six-foot-plus spacing if the left-hand shooter is always situated on a bench to the RIGHT side of a right-handed shooter’s bench. That provides maximum spacing based on their actual sitting positions.
Credit Boyd Allen for finding this story in our Shooter’s Forum.
Good news — the CMP’s North Competition Center in Ohio and South Competition Center in Alabama will both reopen August 17, 2020. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) invites air rifle and air pistol shooters back to North and South Competition Centers by appointment. To safeguard visitors, fewer persons will be allowed on the firing line, and there will be new protective practices for staff and guests.
Story based on Report By Ashley Brugnone, CMP
Anyone is welcome to the ranges for practice or friendly competition on the firing line, though for the foreseeable future, air gun range access will be by appointment only. Guests will be allowed two-hour time slots, with no more than 25 firing points in use at a time. To set up an appointment for your spot on the firing line, please call Catherine Green at 419-635-2141, ext. 704.
Measures to ensure social distancing and cleanliness for visitors include:
— Rifles disinfection between uses
— Masks required while within the facility (can be taken off on firing line)
— Area disinfection by guests before and after use
— Firing point disinfection by staff after use
— Removal of bleachers within the ranges with limited chairs for parents/guardians
— Parents/guardians not firing will be required to wear a mask at all times
— Common Areas and Classrooms will be off limits
— Changing Area within the restrooms will be closed
Both the South Competition Center in Alabama and the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center in Ohio boast 80 firing points with electronic targets. Each firing point contains a personal monitor that instantly displays shot scores. LED screens above the firing points show scores for spectators.
The South Competition Center includes the CMP South Store stocked with equipment, accessories, and memorabilia. Open to the public, year-round, visitors of virtually any age and experience levels are welcome to try their hands at air rifle or air pistol shooting.
The Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center features Olympic and other memorabilia from celebrated American marksman, Gary Anderson. The facility is open to the public all year long, with access to the air gun range for practice, competition or fun shooting.
With good factory rifle ammo costing $1.00 per round — a Laser BoreSighter could pay for itself in just a couple range sessions.
Laser BoreSighters — fitted to your chamber — help you get on target more quickly, particularly with factory firearms. Just activate the unit, slip it into the chamber and look for the red dot on the target. The laser dot is about 2″ in diameter at 100 yards, and is visible even in full sunlight. Right now you can get HQ Issue BoreSighters starting at $15.99 at Sportsman’s Guide (member price is $14.39). These units have a durable brass metal body and the battery will run an hour.
Boresighters are offered for many popular rifle cartridge types including: .223 Rem, .22-250, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win family, and .30-06 (full list below). Sportsman’s Guide also offers Pistol Laser BoreSighters for $17.99 (member price): .38 SPL/.357 Mag, .40 SW, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP.
In-chamber BoreSighters are much safer than the kind that you insert in the end of the barrel (or attach to muzzle). If you forget your laser bore-sight placed in the end of the barrel, and then fire a round, you can blow up your barrel and/or suffer serious injury — it HAS happened.
This video shows how to use in-chamber Sightmark laser boresighters. The HQ Issue boresighters work the same way:
Even with the COVID-19 Pandemic, it is great to see talented young shooters attending competitions — honing their skills with the goal of competing in the next Olympic Games. While few of us have the dedication to become competitive 3-position shooters, soldiers from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) are putting in the hours in the hopes of representing the USA in the World Cup and Olympics.
The USAMU reports: “With the Smallbore Olympic Trials (Part II) still yet to happen, going to competitions now is even more critical for Olympic hopefuls to prepare. So with added safety precautions, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit International Rifle Team recently competed at the American Smallbore Shooting Association (ASSA) National Championships in Bristol, Indiana.”
After all the .22 LR rounds were sent downrange, USAMU soldiers took up the top four spots in both the Prone and Three-Position individual championships. And the USAMU won a Gold and Silver in the Team Championships. SPC Tim Sherry seized the ASSA National Prone Champion title with the score of 6393-515X. SGT Patrick Sunderman took Silver just one X behind — 6393-514X.
In the Prone Team Championships (shown below), USAMU Soldiers swept the podium. SGT Sunderman and SPC Jared Desrosiers combined for 1600-116X to win the Gold and top honors.
USAMU Shooters Host Training Clinics
Between all the matches, USAMU Soldiers also conducted two separate junior athlete clinics to help young shooters advance their marksmanship skills. We commend the USAMU team members for helping to bring up the next generation of position shooters.
USAMU shooters on the firing line at a past championship in Bristol, Indiana.
In the Three-Position Rifle Championship, USAMU soldiers again claimed the top four spots. SPC Sagen Maddalena won the ASSA National Three-Position Rifle Champion title with a 2324-102X. First Lt. Sarah Beard took Silver with a 2320-101X.
The Hardware — High-Tech Rigs with Fully Adjustable Stocks
Here is a modern Anschutz .22 LR Smallbore 3P Match Rifle.
To help celebrate National Shooting Sports Month (NSSM), rifle and gear manufacturers are offering big prize packages — the Gearbox Giveaways. Enter to win rifles, pistols, ammo, and other valuable prizes. Many of the Gearbox packages are worth over $3000 with the most valuable package worth over $4700! Enter as many of the Gearbox Giveaways as you choose. You can’t win if you don’t enter.
You’ll find all the Gearbox Giveaways on the NSSF website. Shown below are 12 current Gearbox Giveaways ranked in order of value — starting with the most valuable prize package. Below each photo is a link for the ENTRY PAGE for that gearbox item. Good luck!
Gun Digest 2021 debuts Phil Massaro as its editor-in-chief. Massaro, the seventh editor in the book’s history, has assembled a wide and varied roster of leading industry authors for the new book, including Craig Boddington, Joe Coogan, Ron Spomer, Terry Wieland, Rick Hacker, Jim Wilson, Larry Weishuhn, Wayne van Zwoll, Bryce Towsley and many more.
The USAMU reports: “With the Smallbore Olympic Trials (Part II) still yet to happen, going to competitions now is even more critical for Olympic hopefuls to prepare. So with added safety precautions, the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit International Rifle Team recently competed at the American Smallbore Shooting Association (ASSA) 
